Ya, I really didn't care much for it either. I guess they've been out of the studio for too long...

I think it was just more of that they might not of had a lot to work with. but it just made me mad that they put inferior versions of songs that are already availible (amethyst deceiver,triple suns...)

I, for one, absolutely love The Ape of Naples. My only beef with it is the extended, repetative version of Amethyst Deceivers. Otherwise I love the truncated Triple Suns, especially with the additional horn section, and Fire of the Mind is one of the strongest opening tracks I've heard in a while, featuring some of Jhonn's most powerful vocals.

Check out Jon Whitney's 1997 interview with Coil on their site, brainwashed.com/coil in which Peter and Jhonn explain how they imagine the then-Nothing album was supposed to sound... then listen to tracks such as Tattooed Man, Fire of the Mind, Heaven's Blade, Amber Rain... very close.

I guess the problem with AON is that it's an album for the fanatics, IE those who own all the Live releases, demos and bootlegs, hence the drastically different renditions of tracks like It's In My Blood. At the moment I prefer the older version, At Your Own Risk, but in hindsight I initially disliked many of what were later to become my favorite Coil songs/albums (the case with AYOR).

Having said that, some of my favorite releases from last year included:

I also absolutely adore The Ape of Naples. In fact you could say that I think it's their best album and by that definition easily 2005's best album, even if many of the songs are remixes of old ones but what remixes! It is the very definition of Coil's 'Moon Musick' aesthetic - mystical, haunting, boundary-pushing, beautiful, damn near existential and absurd, particularly in the lyrics and their delivery. Who else could end their album (and career) with a funereal cover version of a British comedy television program's theme tune that also works as a metaphor for ascending into heaven? On top of that it works as a wonderful but sad epitaph not only to John Balance but to the band in general. How I wish I could've seen them live. I'm glad Sleazy is carrying on in style though.

DÃƒÂ¤lek's Absence is another standout album from 2005. It's hip-hop so loud and urgent it becomes a wall of noise akin to many shoegaze and industrial bands. In fact think of them as a cross between Public Enemy, Einsturzende Neubauten and My Bloody Valentine. The intelligent and angry lyrics are spat out like a soapbox preacher in a fever dream, the beats are massive and everything else is just a wailing but beautiful noise. Everything about this album is heavy and relentless and comes highly recommended.